Situated just 10km from the town of Saurimo, Camundambala is the first village on the main road to Luena and has an approximate population of 1,000 people. Prior to 1938 there was no village in existence. It was only when the Portuguese Catholic influenced Government of the day didn’t want the presence of evangelical missionaries in Saurimo that they gave a 100 hectare plot of land outside the town. It was from that site in Camundambala that the missionaries reached out with the Gospel and today there are twenty-four local assemblies in Saurimo. The very place where the government of the day didn’t want the Gospel is now the centre of Gospel witness!
How it all began
As was usual in those years, a mission station had to have a primary school, and so that was started in 1938 and functioned until the last missionary left in 1969. The old mission station deteriorated and as the civil war erupted the population fled. Everything was left abandoned, until my wife Debbie and I arrived at Camundambala in 1996.
In 2005, two years after peace finally came to this troubled land, the elders of the assembly at Camundambala approached our missionary colleague Ruth Hadley and me and told us of the vision they had for the work. It involved rebuilding and recommencing the primary school that had stood on the former mission site since 1938 and which had been destroyed. These dear elders realized that if the work of the Lord was to progress then we had to have a generation who could read the Bible themselves. If the country of Angola was to have its own doctors, nurses and teachers then they, of necessity, had to have a good education and be able to read! It was neither in Ruth’s mind nor ours that we would undertake such a task, but as we reflected on the vision of our African brethren we realised that, not only was the need obvious, but the end product would indeed be a tremendous asset in the work of the Gospel.
After much prayer and discussion the young men began in 2006 to make the first mud bricks with which to build the new school classrooms. The plan was for the local Christians to do what they could and we, the missionaries, would provide what they were unable to afford, for example, cement and roofing sheets. So building commenced using the original stone foundations of the first school, and three very simple small classrooms were built. Ruth Hadley set about the task of enrolling teachers and worked tirelessly in the school until she had to leave the field at the end of 2016 due to ill health and her consequent home call.
This simple mud brick structure worked well until it was apparent that the classrooms were too small and were deteriorating fast with termite damage. On one occasion, towards the end of 2015, having been up to the school again to spray a damaged wall with the insecticide we use for dealing with termites, we suggested to Ruth that we ought to rebuild with a permanent structure. This was because the results of the primary school education system had already filtered through to positively affecting the local church at Camundambala and beyond. Clearly, it was a work that paid spiritual dividends as well as secular and social benefits, and merited the investment of time and resources to this end. Somewhat prophetically, her reply was, ‘great idea - but I’m too tired to take it on.’ During the next year Ruth had to return home and so physically, she never saw the building work started. But her enthusiasm for teaching and the commitment she displayed to the school lives on in the memory of all who worked with her. At the end of 2016 Jonathan Singleton had plans drawn up by an architect and we received the first plans in February 2017. And so the journey began…
Present day
Today, due to the hard work of visitors from the UK, including Brass Tacks and Jonathan Singleton, together with a team of up to twenty local young men, the school has a purpose built facility with five classrooms, staffroom, library, storeroom, toilets and showers for the teachers, and a large covered patio area for shelter from the sun and rain. A further four classrooms built in 2009/10 are still in good condition providing a total of nine classrooms. It has been a logistical nightmare getting the finance off the ground, dealing in three currencies, the pound, dollar and kwanza and has occupied us fully for the past two years, but it has been well worth it. Local young men have learnt new building skills and have been a joy to work with. The enthusiasm they have shown for the project, and their willingness to work long hours in the hot sun when required, has been great to witness. In two years there was not one complaint or murmur of dissatisfaction, but an attitude of thankfulness for what the Lord had provided so that the work could progress.
Early on at the start of the school in 2007 Ruth Hadley noticed that some of the little children attending reception class through to year four were sleeping at their desks. They were leaving home at 5.00am and walking the 15 km to school, then walking back the same distance in the afternoon. Hungry and tired these little children, some of whom did not have adequate footwear, were not in a fit and healthy condition to learn. This resulted in a satellite school being built in their village, which enabled the children to still attend school but only have to walk the 15 km to the main school to complete years five and six. Every day four teachers travel the 15 km from Camundambala to this satellite school and along with a local Christian in the village provide schooling for these children both morning and afternoon.
The new main school is open for all children without distinction and although some children come from Saurimo 10km away, priority is given each year to the local children from Camundambla. Unlike other government schools no fee is asked for when enrolling children and no payment is required throughout the school year; it is a wholly free education for all. We follow the Government curriculum, but have additional lessons such as English and Bible class for years five and six. The majority of the teaching staff are paid by the Government, but we have the responsibility of paying the wages of an additional ten members of staff which include extra teachers, cleaners, a maintenance man and a driver.
Daily Running of the School
The day-to-day educational work of the school is completely in the hands of Angolans. We are very thankful for Marcus the Head and Mavunda the deputy Head, and together with them we have a good number of Christian teachers who provide a wonderful and God honouring Christian input into the lives of the pupils every day, which always includes the presentation of the Gospel. The children have access to good health care and have clean filtered water to drink in each classroom. In an attempt to reduce the instances of tummy upsets, the whole school takes worming tablets twice a year. Debbie gives the necessary treatment to any children who are poorly while at school or who have any injuries that may occur during the school day. Reception, and classes from years one, two and three are held from 8:30 – 12:30 daily, then years four, five and six are from 1 pm – 4:45pm daily.
Logistics
Our daily involvement in the educational side is minimal, but the logistical running of the school is our responsibility. This requires a fair bit of management and oversight, from basic stock counting to making sure there are enough resources. The school needs to be kept clean, buildings require maintenance, the generator that provides power has to be supplied with diesel and oil and have a regular service. The water supply has to be maintained, as does the vehicle used for transporting teachers to and from town. We are in the process of training a couple of young men to do this work, and trying to help them see that maintenance is essential, and that it is important to prevent any breakdowns. So often this requires changing a mind-set which is not achieved overnight.
The role of MMN
Any visitor to Saurimo quickly realizes that the availability of goods of any kind are extremely limited, infrequent and of dubious quality. So in order to build the new classrooms we have had to import almost everything, apart from cement and concrete blocks. Beside the building materials that have been required, we have imported the desks, chairs and other school furniture. The on-going support of the school is essential. Large quantities of exercise books, pens, other stationery items and equipment have to be supplied in bulk as these are not easily available within the country. Consequently, most goods have to be purchased in the UK and sent via a shipping container. For this we have been most thankful for the fellowship, support and commitment of MMN, to not only order, pack and send the goods, but to store them and to liaise with us regarding priorities and the timing of shipments. This personal touch and interest makes such a difference to the running of the work in Angola as it means we get what we need at the time we require it. This is a massive help to us, not simply in relation to the school, but for every other aspect of our ministry for the Lord. We are indebted to the staff at MMN for their work behind the scenes without whom we could achieve very little. Our admiration for their work is shared by many Angolans who, together with us, see the positive effect the containers have on Christian work in their country.
Challenges for the Future
Serving the Lord in Angola in whatever sphere is a challenge, but one area where we personally are ill equipped is in meeting the need to raise the standard of teaching. In Saurimo the limit of teacher training is the completion of grade eleven at school. Consequently, all teachers lack a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill sets. It is our challenge to address that need. We have provided the very best conditions we can for working in but our constant task is to try and raise the standard of teaching. We were thrilled when our son Luke, who is a school teacher, was able to come and hold teacher training seminars with the school staff for a week during the month of May 2019. Twice a day for 2hrs each session Luke was able to give the staff ideas, methods and advice, all undertaken in the Portuguese language, and it was thoroughly appreciated by all. Several of the staff grew up with Luke when we lived as a family at Camundambala from 1996-2003 and that link with the past was really important and helpful to the teachers. All the material was reproduced and distributed to the staff and the Head and deputy are using that material to remind the staff what was taught. We are praying that this might be able to be repeated on a yearly basis, but there is scope for more to be done. To be effective in this we would emphasize that fluency in the Portuguese language is essential and it can not be achieved via translation, so we would value prayer for this aspect of the on-going work.
The new school classrooms were officially opened on the 21stJune 2019, the local government officials were genuinely impressed, but the happiest day of all was the following Monday when the children were able to use the classrooms for the first time. What a day of rejoicing that was, to see the excitement of the children and the staff!
We are deeply grateful to all those who contributed towards this project, whether through finance, practical help, by prayer or by encouragement. In two years this huge undertaking has been accomplished and the school is in daily use, testimony, we believe, to the truth of the words of Psalm 127:1 ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it’.
Now, as we use what the Lord has given us, we would appreciate so very much the continued prayers of the Lords people as we seek to guide the school forward. Please pray that we will be able to meet the challenges of providing a basic education for the 600 children under our care, and to use every opportunity to make sure that these dear youngsters hear about Christ and His love, and that He alone is the answer to their greatest need.
